Author Archives: guest

“Whoever Wins, Chill A Bit”

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Whoever Wins, Chill A Bit. 

Best election advice ever.  This paragraph is particularly important:

I’m not an Obama fan, particularly, but a lot of people I like and respect are. To treat Obama as something evil or subhuman would not only be disrespectful toward Obama, but toward them. Instead, I hope that if Obama is elected, their assessment of his strengths will turn out to be right, and mine will turn out to be wrong. Likewise, those who don’t like John McCain or Sarah Palin might reflect that by treating Palin and McCain as obviously evil and stupid, they’re disrespecting tens of millions of their fellow Americans who feel otherwise.

 That’s truth right there.  One reason I (mostly) stay away from political posts is the disrespect – the assumption that those who disagree are total dupes or willingly participating in evil.

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All I ask is that the candidates court me until the bitter end.

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 [My first political post in a long, long while.  This is my one statement on the current campaign.  Other than here, I’m going to stay away from political posts because I abhor the lack of charity that permeates them.  The basic idea behind this was borrowed from Ann Althouse].

Yes, I’m conservative (mostly).  Yes, I’m an Alaskan (despite being in Texas at the moment).  If you think you know how I’m going to vote, you’re probably wrong.

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How to Give a Great Sacrament Meeting Talk – Part 5 of 5: Delivery

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Part 4 (Memory) here. Part 3.5 (Using Analogies) here. Part 3 (Style) here. Part 2 (Arrangement) here. Part 1.5 (Sources) here. Part 1 (Invention) here. Part 0 (introduction) here.

Well, it’s been awhile, and despite the title, this is not the last installment.

Delivery is something that can be overdone, and when it is overdone, it ruins the talk.

I’ve seen people with horrid delivery move me to tears and plenty of well-versed orators have left me feeling cold.

The first rule is: The Spirit matters most. The second is: Don’t fake your delivery.

That said, here are some ways you can improve the delivery of your talk without faking it. You don’t have to be trained in public speaking (although that’s always a plus, when not overdone), but there are small things anyone can do to improve the delivery of their talk. And if you have the Spirit in your words, a well-delivered talk can move from very good to great (or even excellent). Continue reading →

My Father in the September Ensign. (And what didn’t make it in)

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Page 19 -21.  It’s part of a larger article (that starts on page 18_, but his anecdote about high school wrestling and promptings from the spirit can be found on those pages.  Though the artists rendering on page 20 is all wrong.  It looks nothing like my father and the school color and logo in the picture aren’t of any high school I’ve ever seen.

Now, here’s what didn’t make it in the issue: Continue reading →

How to Give a Great Sacrament Meeting Talk – Part 4 of 5: Memory

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Part 3.5 (Using Analogies) here. Part 3 (Style) here. Part 2 (Arrangement) here. Part 1.5 (Sources) here. Part 1 (Invention) here. Part 0 (introduction) here.

Sorry this is so late.

Anyway –

Memory is the most overlooked aspect of giving a great talk.  Write your talk out (whether by hand or on a computer) and you have it handy.  No need to memorize it.  At General Conference, the GAs even use teleprompters.  So, there’s clearly no need to memorize your talk, right?

Wrong (sort of).

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